Kimberly Trott’s response to Ken Robinson’s challenge to
revolutionize education and how does our work in developing a PBL mindset for
Spartanburg District Six promote that paradigm shift?
A couple of ideas jump out from the video. Ken is correct in stating that most people
are unhappy in their jobs because the work they do does not allow them to use
their talents. How many of us know
people who constantly say, “I love my job!”
Maybe there are just not enough available jobs for the talents most
people possess, but because people are typically multi-talented they can be
directed to find some career choice that allows them to incorporate at least some
of their talents.
Teachers fall into the first category of people who love
what they do. It is not possible to remain a teacher for long if you truly did
not enjoy some aspect of the classroom. Not
every teacher possesses the same skill set.
One teacher may have good verbal skills, another good organizational
skill, and another may have excellent disciplinarian skills. Because teachers love
the content they teach, they are able to bring out the talents of their
students by creating challenging PBL units.
Teachers are actually the best at recognizing and fostering talents in
students. Teachers who work with students on creating projects and developing
content material recognize individual student talents. Project based learning in the classroom will allow teachers
to recognize and encourage student talents that they notice. Maybe the student is a great leader,
researcher, organizer, and so on. These
are skills that multiple professions require and if noticed by a teacher and
reflected in critique and reflection can have an impact on student growth and
development and the fostering of potential career alternatives.
The second idea that stuck with me was the linear model that
education follows. Liner to fit the
linear work that is and was done in factories.
As a teacher, we are constrained by this way of thinking all the time. Questions like “Would I get in trouble if I
taught this out of sequence, or can I combine these two chapters, reflect this
emphasis on linear thinking that is hard to change?” PBL allows more freedom to
create branches off the line and maybe altogether forget the linear way of
teaching.
Teachers are the best at finding talent. Since we have such power, we must make sure that we never crush the spirit of a child! The words we tell our students live in them forever. My mother still remembers and quotes negative comments said to her by teachers and she graduated in 1957. When my student remembers me in 2057, I want it to be in a favorable way.
ReplyDeleteHi Kim,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your first blog post and like you, I found myself nodding in agreement to the point Sir Ken Robinson made about the role talents and choice plays in our job/career fulfillment. I am glad that as a whole we as teachers love our jobs because we are able to utilize our talents and tap into our passions. When considering your implementation of pbl where do you feel your challenges lie? Where is their room for growth in your unit?
Sincerely,
Dawn